


Demons of the Past

by onihunter305



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Angst, Boys In Love, Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Good Boyfriend Levi Schmitt, M/M, Nico Needed A Hug, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-12-30 18:04:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18320471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onihunter305/pseuds/onihunter305
Summary: Link’s gentle teasing goes a little too far. Thankfully Levi recognizes what’s going on with his boyfriend and quickly reassures him how much he means to him.





	Demons of the Past

Link and Nico were friends, good friends. The two had met after Nico finished his intern year, right before he started his first year as a resident. He had an opportunity to meet Link while he was still working for the Seattle Mariners, a friend of his got him access to the personal training staff when he expressed interest in orthopedics. Him and Link had hit it off immediately and when Nico expressed interest in looking for an orthopedic fellowship, Link had proposed that he join him as his fellow at his newly appointed job as head of the Orthopedic Department at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital. 

Link had helped him find a nice studio apartment once they got there and helped him get settled. Nico couldn’t help but feel thankful for both the opportunity and the friendship. It hadn’t been easy to pack up his life and move to a different state, but he felt like he was on the path he needed to be. 

Then, he met Levi Schmitt. 

Levi had been a happy accident. Nico had no intention of trying to find love while he was in Seattle. He knew his fellowship year would be difficult and time consuming, but from the moment he laid eyes on the smaller intern, Nico knew he was lost. 

Their relationship had started as a whirlwind of poor decisions on Nico’s part. From his stupidly impulsive decision to jump Levi in the elevator, to his even more stupid decision to leave him abruptly in that same elevator after telling him that he didn’t want a freshly-gay virgin. Thankfully Levi’s adorable confession in the ambulance during the windstorm made him see reason and they were almost inseparable since. 

Of course people were going to notice. 

Nico thought they were subtle, but he didn’t know the hospital’s famous gossip train. Pulling each other into on call rooms, stolen glances in the hallways, and secret liaisons in training labs were noticed by every member of the staff, especially Nico’s counterpart in the orthopedic department. 

“So...” Link began one day, while they worked in tandem in the OR to complete a rather complicated ACL repair. “I feel like I have to ask, is Schmitt as neurotic outside of the hospital?”

Nico raises an eyebrow at the question and tried to figure out what Link was actually asking. He knew the other man had no issue with the fact that he was gay, and he didn’t seem to mind Levi when he was on their service. Link had even praised Levi’s attention to detail on the cases he’s worked with them. 

“What do you mean?” He finally asked for clarification. 

“I mean, like does he drop stuff and talk about comics and stuff, like all the time?” Link asked, not picking up on the slight warning tone in Nico’s voice. 

“He is who he is. He’s a nerd, but he’s proud and comfortable with that fact,” Nico answered evenly. 

“And Mama Schmitt? How’d that meeting go?” Link asked, carefully extracting the patella tendon that they were going to use for the ACL reconstruction.

Link was so focused on his task that he didn’t noticed the visible reaction that Nico’s body went through. Everyone in the hospital knew that Levi lived with his mom and that the intern had an interesting relationship with her. After all, he brought Jo back to his basement bedroom when he was still a sub-intern and she hadn’t been quiet about the embarrassing situation. And Levi wasn’t quiet about his mom, especially after a few beers at Joe’s. The younger man would often be lamenting over a beer, or four, about one thing or another that had happened with her. 

Link was genuinely curious what Levi’s mother was like. He had no idea what kind of cord that would strike with Nico. 

“It hasn’t,” Nico said, trying not to sound bitter or insecure about the fact. It had been a point of contention between him and Levi recently. Nico didn’t want to be anyone’s dirty little secret, and Levi didn’t want to be forced out of the closet before he felt he was ready. They were at an impasse. 

“Schmitt hasn’t introduced you to his leading lady?” Link asked, looking up at the Fellow, surprise visible on his face. 

“He’s not ready. He’s newly out and he’s just... not ready to tell her yet?” Nico said. 

“Sorry man, that sucks,” Link commented, although Link didn’t know the full details of Nico’s past dating life, he knew that he had a few rough relationships that had ended because he refused to be anyone’s secret affair. 

“He’s not hiding us. He came out to Jo Karev and Meredith Grey in the operating room a couple of weeks ago,” Nico said, feeling like he had to defend Levi even though his actions in regard to keeping him a secret from his mother hurt him. 

“Well it’s not like the two of you are subtle. I think the whole hospital knows you guys are going at it like rabbits in the on-call rooms whenever you both are on,” Link chuckled. 

“What?” Nico said, his eyes wide. 

“It’s not a big deal. Everyone is rooting for you guys, the nurses even run interference to make sure no one bothers you guys, it’s actually really sweet,” Link was quick to reassure. “Anyway, I’m sure he’ll be ready to tell his mom soon. But you’ll have to let me know how it goes, alright?” Link stated, finishing both the conversation and the surgery all at once. 

“Yeah, sure,” Nico responded absentmindedly. 

£*¥*£

Nico was distracted for the rest of the day. Although he knew Link didn’t mean anything by it, he had inadvertently caused all of Nico’s insecurities to rush to the surface. All the hurt feelings he harbored from previous relationships were now dancing at the surface and he began to doubt Levi was any different than some of his past relationships. 

He was so distracted he almost walked right past Levi in the hall later that day. 

“Woah,” Levi had commented, grabbing Nico’s arm to get his attention and his head out of the clouds. 

“Sorry Levi, didn’t see you,” Nico said, trying to keep his internal battle to himself. He didn’t want to worry Levi, the other man had a lot on his plate recently with his caseload and studying for his intern exams. And Nico was fine, or at least he thought he was. 

“I know I’m short, but I’m not that short,” Levi laughed, hoping to get the taller man to crack a smile. He was perturbed to see that serious, far-off, look still on the other man’s face. Upon closer inspection Levi could see the tight stress lines around his eyes and the telling slump in his posture. Something was off with his boyfriend. 

With a quick glance at their surrounding Levi was able to locate the closest on-call room and gently maneuvered Nico towards it. He was prepared to kick out whoever was in there, ranking be damned, because he could tell Nico needed him. 

Thankfully he didn’t have to try out his new found confidence and the room was empty. He led Nico to the bed and made sure to sit down first before pulling Nico against his chest. The fact that the other man didn’t protest throughout this process frightened Levi. 

“What’s going on babe,” he whispered into Nico’s soft hair, his hand coming up to play with the wisps gently. 

“I’m fine,” Nico began, not wanting to be a burden just because he was stuck in his own head. 

“No, you’re not. And if you aren’t ready to tell me why, that’s okay. But for now you take what you need from me,” Levi said, offering whatever comfort he could give to the taller man. He knew what it was like to feel off kilter and need someone to ground him, and he was prepared to be that for Nico. 

“It’s stupid,” Nico said, nuzzling into Levi’s scrub top. Levi decided not to comment about how anything that bothered Nico could ever be considered stupid, hoping Nico would elaborate. He was rewarded when Nico continued with, “its just something Link said.”

“Was it about a patient?” Levi guessed. 

“No,” Nico paused, “it was about you, well, us I guess.” 

“Us?” Levi was confused... and concerned. What could Link have said about their relationship that would have caused this reaction in Nico. 

“It’s just... you know I love you. And I know you love me. But... I’ve been through... things like this before,” Nico struggled to find the words to express himself. 

“Well, first let me emphasize that I do love you, very much in fact. But I’m confused about what you mean, that you’ve been through this before?” Levi said carefully, trying to reassure Nico through the growing anxiety that he was feeling as this conversation continued. 

“I know you’re not ready. And I won’t ask you to be, or try to make you, but it’s just hard,” Nico sighed, feeling as stupid and he felt he sounded. “I’m just so proud of you and I love to tell people how amazing you are and... sometimes I want to shout it from the rooftops. But...” he trailed off, not wanting to finish his thought. 

Levi decided to do it for him, “but you want someone to be that proud of you... to everyone in their life too.”

Levi hit the nail on the head. And Nico felt like crap for dumping this on him. He was sure Levi was going to jump into another long stream of consciousness about how he wasn’t ready yet and how he just needed time and death traps. He was surprised when all Levi did was hug his body tight and place a soft kiss on the crown of his head. 

“I know you love me. You don’t have to do anything you aren’t ready for, to try and prove it to me,” Nico said, enjoying being held far more than he thought the would. 

“I know. And I hate that you have been hurt by people in the past. That people haven’t cherished you for the amazing being that you are. You are the light in my life. And when the days seem dark, you are the beacon that I want to come home too. You mean so much to me and I am so incredibly amazed by you and what you do,” Levi said, craning his head so that he could look Nico in the eyes. “I want to shout out to everyone who will dare to listen how proud I am that I get to call you mine. I get to have such an amazing person stand at my side and that is nothing to be ashamed about. I see that now. And whatever deathtraps my mom might think she sees... well I’ll just have to show her how each and everyone of them are nothing compared to how amazing you are.”

Nico blinked his eyes to clear the growing tears. Levi was right, he had been hurt in the past. Hurt and humiliated, by people who said they loved him and people who would claim that he was important. Hearing Levi’s passionate speech, he didn’t even have a single fear of that anymore. The fears Link had forced to the surface, were quiet again. 

“You don’t have to do anything to prove that to me, I know you and your heart,” he said to Levi, leaning up to catch his lips in a passionate kiss. 

They kissed slowly for a while, each pouring the love and affection they felt for the other into the action. Eventually Levi pulled back, his mind unsettled. 

“What exactly did Link say to cause this?” He questioned, trying not to be angry at the Attending but at the same time wanting to hit him for upsetting Nico so. 

“It wasn’t so much what he said, as it was the feelings his words brought up,” Nico sighed, knowing it was his reaction to Link’s words, not the words themselves, that brought this on. 

“I’m sorry,” Levi said, shushing Nico slightly when he made a move to stop Levi. “No listen one second, I’m sorry that I’ve waited this long. That I let even a shred of doubt grow in you about how I feel about you. I’m going to visit my mom tonight. And I’m going to tell her that I’m gay, and that I have an amazing boyfriend, and that I will be meeting up with him later tonight but that her and I can schedule some time to talk about the amazing man in my life. And then I’m going to come over, and make sure you know how much I love you.”

“That,” Nico smiler, “sounds like an amazing night. I can’t wait.”

The two shared another kiss, both thinking about the past, but also thinking about the future.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a story that popped into my head. I think Nico has an emotional past, that I hope they delve into, and I think some of it stems from being with guys in the closet who made him feel unworthy. Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
